Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday suggested “112” as a single emergency phone number across the country. It can be used for all emergency phone calls, including for police, fire, and ambulance. People will be able to make calls on “112” from their mobile or landline phones even if their outgoing call facility has been debarred or the service is temporarily suspended.
An SMS-based access to new emergency number, in which telecom operators may be asked to provide location information of the device from where SMS has been sent, can also be provided, the regulator said. Similar to the “911” all-in-one emergency service in the US, the Indian Government can integrate all existing emergency numbers, such as 100, 101, 102 and 108, into the proposed “112” helpline number, TRAI said in its recommendations on the emergency number.
“Authority recommends that the number “112” be adopted as the single emergency number for India. This new number may be popularised extensively through a public awareness campaign by the Government,” TRAI said.
The regulator suggested existing emergency numbers, such as 100, 101, 102 and 108, can be retained as secondary numbers. If any call is made to these numbers, the call should be directed to the new single emergency number “112”, TRAI said.
TRAI also recommended setting up of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) to handle people’s call in distress. Under the new system, the regulator has asked the Government to set up Response Management System under PSAP which will coordinate for dispatch of emergency service.
The PSAP is suggested to have various systems, including a facility to automatically direct incoming calls to a free call taker and location tracking system having an interface to plot incoming location information on a map showing all nearby landmarks and resources and display on a monitor. Responding resources like PCR vans, Fire engines and Ambulances should be fitted with GPS to transmit location information to PSAP, it said.
TRAI has recommended that PSAP operators should be able to handle calls in Hindi, English and local languages. Under the new system when an emergency call will be made, PSAP would get access to location of caller automatically from database of telecom operator and immediately direct the concerned emergency service to reach the spot, it said.
The regulator has recommended that BSNl may be directed to set up or hire and maintain infrastructure (data centre) wherein the subscriber database provided by all telecom operators is installed and updated.